Bari is made up o fower different urban sections. Tae the north is the closely built auld toun on the peninsula atween twa modren harbours, wi the splendid Basilica o Saunt Nicholas, the Cathedral o San Sabino (1035–1171) an the Swabian Castle built for Frederick II, which is nou an aa a major nichtlife destrict. Tae the sooth is the Murat quarter (erectit bi Joachim Murat), the modren hert o the ceety, which is laid oot on a rectangular grid-plan wi a promenade on the sea an the major shoppin destrict (the via Sparano an via Argiro).

Modren residential zones surroond the centre o Bari, the result o chaotic development durin the 1960s an 1970s replacin the auld suburbs that haed developed alang roads splaying ootwards frae gates in the ceety walls. In addition, the ooter suburbs hae developed rapidly durin the 1990s. The ceety haes a redeveloped airport named efter Pape John Paul II, Karol Wojtyła Airport, wi connections tae several European ceeties.